Computers have become highly integrated in the workforce, in the home, in mobile devices, and many other places. Computers can process massive amounts of information quickly and efficiently. Software applications designed to run on computer systems allow users to perform a wide variety of functions including business applications, schoolwork, entertainment and more. Software applications are often designed to perform specific tasks, such as word processor applications for drafting documents, or email programs for sending, receiving and organizing email.
In many cases, software applications are designed to interact with other software applications or other computer systems. For example, web browsers may interact with web servers to request and receive data which is presented to a user. These web servers may be configured to provide web services. Such web services are typically designed to provide interactive or on-demand processing. As such, the web services fail to provide schedule-based, background processing.